


This Charming Man

by aseriesofolafevents



Series: Bowtruckles and Broken People [4]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, I mean achilles is a bit of a prick, Jealous Newt Scamander, Just read it to find out, OR IS IT, Protective Tina Goldstein, Theseus is a good bro, also, and kind of, and so is Jacob, but he's just got a crush I guess, but it's going to be a happy ending ladies, okay so you may be worried
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2019-12-29 22:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18303257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aseriesofolafevents/pseuds/aseriesofolafevents
Summary: In which Newt almost has courage to do the thing he's wanted to do, Tina is very surprised and the rest of the gang grab their popcorn.ORThe one where Achilles Tolliver (Tina's boyfriend) turns up.(Renamed.)





	1. Almost

**Author's Note:**

> Hi okay so I haven't done a FB fic since It Takes Two but I'm kind of vibing with the whole three chapters thing because I can do multiple POVs. Also I promise it has a happy ending but I really wanted to write a mixture of fluff and angst because they go together like beans on toast:))))

‘Have you ever considered leaving the ink in the same spot that you found it?’ Tina asked laughingly, with a hint of impatience in her voice. Newt glanced up to see her desperately looking for the pot of ink that he kept in the basement, in order to reply to a letter Dumbledore had sent her. Yet Newt seemed to have a problem with keeping things in the right place. She glanced over her shoulder, to look at him as he prepared the Ashwinder’s dinner.

He glanced up for a second, smiling to himself as he caught sight of her face in the crackling candlelight. He could have added more light to the room but he didn’t and he wasn’t too sure why not. Maybe it was because of the way the orange flames illuminated her eyes.  
“Try in the herb draw.” He told her, as she sighed and did what she was told. He grinned at her exasperated face and just for a moment he was thrown into a blissful domestic scene where this was their life and that the outside world wasn’t happening. It was just the two of them and a case full of creatures.

But then he reminded himself that this was not that moment and in fact, Tina was just a friend who was staying for a couple of days. It had been two weeks since they had gone back to Paris and tonight was Theseus’ last night at his, before he was moving into a new flat a couple of roads down. After they had cleaned out the flat, his older brother and drawn the courage to go and see it one last time, before deciding that he needed a fresh start where Leta’s memory would not haunt every cupboard and corner. They’d just finished moving all his stuff in that very morning and so the small party of five, plus Bunty, were planning to have a going away dinner.

They were five because Mr Kama had graciously taken his leave a couple of days prior. It had come after a long talk with Dumbledore and Newt was almost positive that he was sent away with some kind of instructions, knowing his old headteacher like he did. He had been more surprised to find that he found Yusef’s leaving more emotionally than he had first thought. They had become like a sort of band of outlaws in the last couple of weeks and it was slowly starting to feel as though they were breaking away.

“Found it!” Tina cried, holding a small pot of ink and he snapped back to reality, smiling at her in a I-told-you-so way as she unscrewed the top of the inkwell. She gave it a small sniff before pulling back in surprise. “Definitely not ink.” She grimaced, putting it down on the work surface. Her scrunched up, disgusted face made Newt chuckle as she made a noise of repulsion. Sighing, she put the parchment on the work table away. “I’ll have to run out and get some tomorrow, when the shops are open.” She wandered over to him, looking over his shoulder. “Need any help?”  
He took a sharp intake of breath because Tina Goldstein was really standing this close to him. Things had been normally differentish the last week or so. It had become a domestic ritual of them being together in the basement during the evenings and no one had even questioned it. Theseus and Jacob made relentless jokes and probes, even when Tina was in the room, to which he blushed profusely and pretended not to listen. Because whatever was growing between them, had to be nurtured with care and consideration and most definitely not rushed.  
“I’m okay, I think.” Newt replied, keeping his eyes solely trained on the last of the meat before him. “I’m just about done.”  
“It’s probably best I don’t help anyway,” Tina considered, her eyes as focused on the task in hand as his. “My hands are too large to cut the slabs as gracefully as you.” She chuckled and paused for a moment as if remembering a memory which she didn’t really want to. “People used to call be Big-Hands at work and I’ve never really liked em since.”  
She was quiet once more and Newt felt profoundly awkward. He cleared out his throat. “I think you have wonderful hands.” He said quickly, freezing as he did so because he really hadn’t meant to say that aloud. It was exactly the kind of thing Jacob had advised him NOT to say around Tina. Now she was going to think he spent too much time thinking about her hands. Which he did. But she most certainly did not need to know that.  
He heard her intake sharply. “You do?” She asked and her voice was quieter than usual, soft and surprised. She didn’t sound creeped out at all. He nodded, his eyes still looking at the slabs of meat which were actually starting to repulse him.  
“Your hands are just the right size.” He almost whispered, afraid for her to hear him and afraid for her to not. “That’s why your wand work is so immaculate, because your hands are just the right size to get a good grip of the wand. 

He looked up now. She was facing him and it could have just been the crackling candlelight but her eyes seemed to be glistening with tears.  
“Newt..” She whispered and he waited for her to go on, before realising that that was all she had to say. Something that seemed like courage roared in his stomach and he moved a steady hand to tuck the loose hair she had on her cheek behind her ear, allowing his hand to drag across her cheek. After he moved the strand, his hand seemed frozen or he seemed unwillingness to move it or something but she didn’t seem to mind too much. She brought her hand up, to rest on his, leaning her cheek into his palm.  
His eyes flickered down to her lips without even meaning to. They were perfectly poised. He gulped. He’d done this before, not a lot, but enough, to know how it went. But this seemed...different. He was calculating his every move as though rehearsing a play. He wanted it to be perfect.  
“Tina…” He whispered but he forgot his trail of thought and just ended up leaving at that. A final surge of courage was all he needed and he got it when her eyes fluttered shut and so, following her, he brought his head in closer and closer so when their lips would meet it would…

“Newt!” A cry came from the staircase and they automatically sprung apart, looking anywhere but each others faces. “Tina?!” The voice called out again, this time closer and recognisable as Bunty, his assistant. Tina had tucked her hands behind her and was now training her eyes on her shoes as he cleared out his throat.  
“In here Bunty,” He called back, trying to make sure his voice didn’t sound too disappointed or reproachful because even though he loved Bunty dearly, she couldn’t half choose her timing.  
The redheaded witch appeared beside them, a little out of breath from the stairs. “Here you are!” She grinned, looking back and forth between the two of them. She stopped for a second, looking at Tina. “Tina, dear, are you overheated? Only your cheeks are redder than beetroot.” She chuckled a loud and Newt gave a half hearted smile, his heart pounding against the ribcage. Tina looked up, still avoiding Newt’s gaze.  
“I don’t know.” She shrugged, smiling slightly. “I guess it’s those candles.”  
Bunty nodded. “Anyway,” She continued. “Tina’s there someone upstairs that you might wanna go and see but before you start running off-”  
Tina completely forgot to look at the floor at the mention of this. Her face snapped up, looking at Newt dead in the eye. “Queenie!” She gasped exuberantly, a hand flying to her mouth. She didn’t even wait to see what Bunty was going to say before making off towards the stairs.  
“Tina! Wait!” Bunty called back, her face screwed up in worry. She looked at Newt, sort of sorrowfully and his eyebrows furrowed because this wasn’t the reaction he would expect from Bunty if it really was Queenie waiting upstairs with Jacob. “Newt, I think you need to…” She trailed off, gesturing in Tina’s direction and Newt automatically knew that something was up so he nodded and bolted up the stairs.

Coming into the kitchen, he saw Tina, rooted on the spot, staring in the direction of the doorway where a tall, good looking man was grinning at her. His hair was swept back as if he had been blown in the wind and his coat proudly wore a MACUSA badge.  
“Tina! Baby!” He cried and Newt’s stomach flipped at his american accent as the man strode over and wrapped Tina in a bear hug, lifting her off her feet. Tina responded gingerly, her face still the image of surprise. When the man had put her down and wrapped his arm around her waist, causing Newt’s heart to burn with jealousy, she turned to Newt with tears of apparent happiness in her eyes.  
“Newt, this is Mr Tolliver. Achilles Tolliver.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Tina is lost for words, Achilles stays for dinner and Nagini tries to comfort her friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi ah ok im not sure if I like this but I hope you do:)))

“Tina! Baby!”

Or at least, that’s what it sounded like. Because, as Tina stood, dumbfounded in the middle of a very british kitchen, her ears were filled with the fast paced beating of her heart. Her eyes glazed over as she stared, mouth open slightly, at the man in front of her.  
He seemed to take her lack of words and astonished expression as her being knocked for words due to the thrill of it all, as he practically leapt across the room, scooping her so high into his arms that her feet left the floor and for a moment she was just floating, as he spun her round once or twice. When he finally set her down on the ground, his arm snaked around her waist to give her a small squeeze and she blinked once and then twice, unsure of what to do.

There was a cough from the other side of the room and Tina was suddenly acutely aware that they were being watched. Her brain somehow found the words to form what seemed to be a sentence and she turned to the one man that she needed to talk to, to explain all of this mess to.  
Newt was looking at her, his own eyes slightly widened, as though she had just punched him in the gut. She met his eyes and her own immediately began to fill with tears; tears of longing, tears of sadness, tears of confusion. To think, that less than five minutes before she had been nose to nose with Newt Scamander still made her heart flip just once more then it should have...and if he only he had moved just a second quicker they would have-  
She cleared out her throat. “Newt,” She breathed, still staring into his eyes, slightly surprised that he hadn’t looked away. “This is Mr Tolliver.” She paused for a second. “Achilles Tolliver.”

Achilles seemed to take this as a warm introduction because he leant forward, extending one hand, whilst still keeping one arm firmly planted on Tina’s waist. “Hey there.” He grinned, his thick accent filling his words. “I’m Tina’s guy.”  
The words made Tina feel physically ill and Newt blinks three times exactly before raising a steady hand to slowly grip Achilles.  
“Mr Tolliver.” Newt greeted and Tina was surprised and a little hurt to realise that there was no shake in his voice, instead it was as calm as the voice he used to tame the kelpie. “I’m-”  
“Oh I know who you are alright!” Achilles interrupted, something which consistently got on Tina’s nerves. “You’re Newt Scamander, the guy who gave us quite the run around last November.” He was seemingly finished with Newt because he turned to look down at Tina, pulling her even closer if that was somehow possible.  
“Did I surprise you?” He asked, his mouth pulled apart to bare his teeth and Tina couldn’t help but think that he looked sorta like a dog, looking down at a bone. She opened her mouth but no words came out so he continued, “Look at that face!” He said to the audience, “I got her real good, I even saw tears in her eyes a second ago.”  
Tina seemed to have lost all ability to speak, instead found herself staring at Newt, who kept his eyes trained on the floor. For this reason, she was almost relieved when Bunty stepped in.  
“Bunty.” The british witch said, looking Achilles up and down like she was most displeased with what she saw. “Newt’s assistant and good friend.”  
Achilles turned to her and extended a hand, which she looked at in disdain before stepping back slightly. The american seemed to get the message because he slowly lowered his hand, yet his smile didn’t falter once. Instead he turned to Jacob who was slightly red in the face.  
“Jacob Kowalski.” He guessed, with a pompous finger point, as if he was the smartest person in the room. Which he probably believed, Tina thought with a sniff. “You’re the no-maj that Tina’s sis was hung up on, right?”  
Jacob cleared out his throat, his eyes glaring at Achilles but his mouth upturned in a smile. “That’s right. And I know all about you.” The last sentence seemed pointed but Achilles chose to completely ignore it.  
“Hey, where is your sister Tina?” He looked around, craning his neck in the kitchen. “Queenie or something wasn’t it?”  
An awkward silence descended slowly on the group, which Theseus hastened to break by introducing himself.  
“War hero Scamander?” Achilles asked and he couldn’t hide the impressed note in his question. Theseus nodded and so Achilles cleared out his throat, as if to reassert his dominance.  
“And this is Nagini.” Jacob gestured to the slim witch who had somehow slipped in the room so quietly that no one had noticed. Nagini raised a small hand to Achilles, giving a light smile before shrinking back behind Jacob. Tina was actually grateful that he didn’t push the girl.

Newt stepped forward slightly. “Mr Tolliver, I wonder if you want to join us for dinner? Jacob’s made roast pork and his roast dinners are particularly delicious.”  
Tina’s heart fell slightly. Wasn’t this the moment when Newt was to descend into a mad frenzy of jealousy? Wasn’t he supposed to throw Achilles out onto the street?  
A small voice echoed in her head. He doesn’t want you, it hissed. He doesn’t care if you’re with Achilles Tolliver or anyone.  
But Achilles was agreeing to stay for dinner and Bunty was glaring at Newt whilst leading the small group through into the kitchen. Tina lingered a little longer than everyone else, wanting the floor could open up and swallow her so that she would fall into the basement, right into the open mouth of a kelpie. And it wasn’t the first time that she desperately wished Queenie was here to save her from the situation. If she told Achilles she didn’t want him there, he’d probably burst into a fit of rage, just like he did the first time she tried to call things off. She gulped, before she heard Achilles voice calling after her.

 

Dinner was an awkward affair, with everyone avoiding topics about Grindelwald and Paris, no matter how hard Achilles pressed. In fact, it wasn’t too hard, since soon Achilles had launched into a long spell of stories about himself, to which everyone seemed happy to silently listen and nod and smile and even whisper ‘wowww!’ when it was needed. Newt was quiet throughout the whole somber affair and even though she managed to catch his eye twice, he always made a point of looking away quickly. Bunty spent the entire meal shooting Tina daggers and she even got a head shake from Jacob. Theseus, who was sat on her right side, with Achilles on her left, gave her a small shoulder nudge of confidence as she sat down but then remained pretty much silent. Nagini’s eyes danced around the room, watching everyone’s thoughts and reactions through their body language.  
By the time dessert was served, placed down on Tina’s place mat with considerable force by Bunty, the conversation had turned to the dreaded topic; how she and Achilles had met.  
Achilles chuckled and leaned back in his seat, letting his arm fall lazily over the back of Tina’s, who sat up with a posture that Queenie would be proud of, seat. At this particular moment, he seemed to have decided that he’d had enough with talking and instead looked to Tina encouragingly.  
“Go on, doll.” He told her, gesturing towards everyone else. “Take it away.”  
Tina looked shyly around the room, despite the fact that these were her friends who she felt safe and comfortable with. This time it was her who was avoiding Newt’s eye.  
“Well..” She stuttered slowly. “I was back on the investigative team and I guess Achilles saw me and he invited me out for dinner one night and I had nothing better to do-” She felt a growing surge of confidence. Newt had left HER in New York. What did he expect her to do? Sit around whilst she believed he was engaged to someone else?  
“-So I accepted.” She finished with an uncertain smile.  
Achilles shook his head. “No, no, no.” He declared, looking at Tina in a way that made her stomach churn instead of flip. He looked back to everyone else. “You see, I’d been watchin Tina, over here for months and when I heard of what she did, to save the city, I mean, I just told myself, Tolliver, she’s the woman for you. So I ended up asking her out for coffee. I must of asked her about a million times, I think. But I guess she was playing hard to get, because she kept telling me no. Then one day, when I’d just given up hope, mind you, she comes right up to my desk and asks me where I want to take her.”  
Tina could feel her cheeks burning bright red. She remembered that day vividly. She’d just received the newspaper and there, on the second page was the sacrilegious image which had burned in her head each night. To see Newt, standing next to the most beautiful woman Tina had ever seen, with the slogan ‘Scamander to Wed’, made her heart pang even to this very day. She’d had enough of waiting for a man who loved another. So she’d gone straight up to Achilles that morning and asked if he still wanted to take her out.

Newt stood up abruptly, clattering his chair, making her jump. “I’ll clear away.” He said apologetically, beginning to take Jacob and Nagini’s plates. Theseus raised a hand as if to get his wand but Newt shook his head.  
“I’ll help.” Tina decided, standing up with just as much energy as Newt had, making Theseus, beside her, flinch slightly. Newt paused for a moment, looking at her square in the eyes. She tried to convey all her thoughts into that one look, all her apologies, all her pain and all her hope. But Newt continued to take the dishes away and she did the same, eventually following him into the kitchen. 

Newt had already magically set the plates to wash themselves and so she cast the same spell, both of them standing besides the sink, centimetres apart. The last of the dying sun burnt into the room, causing his face to be illuminated with a subtle orange colour which brought out out the green flecks in her eyes. She blinked, trying to bring herself back to reality. They both stood for a second, looking at each other, without really looking at each other, to the sound of the scraping plates.  
“Newt…” Tina started, her own voice thick with emotion. “Newt, I don’t know what to say…”  
Newt cleared out his throat, staring awkwardly at her chin to avoid her eyes. “You don’t need to say a thing.” He breathed slowly and for a second they were back in the basement and all Tina wanted to do was reach out and touch his cheek. “Queenie told me all about him.”

That made sense. An off hand comment he had made in the French Ministry which hadn’t quite made sense at the time was now stuck in her brain. He’d heard she was ‘happy’. She had thought he meant about rejoining the Investigative Team...but now….  
“Oh…” She said softly and carefully, tears brimming her eyes. They had been such fools, she realised. Miscommunication and their own stubbornness had created all of their problems and she saw that now. “I really had no idea he was coming.” She told him, as he looked at her, directly in the eyes.  
“Fire in water.” He muttered and she was taken back to the conversation they had had in Paris. She gulped. They had been fools but there was still time.  
A surge of courage meant that she leant in a little bit. He blinked, unsure of what she was doing of course. Carefully, she covered her own hand over the top of his.   
He jumped back like she had stunned him or shocked or set some kind of jinxx on her.  
“I wish you every happiness.” He said stiffly, before leaving her in the kitchen, standing beside the clean plates.

When it came to late in the evening, Achilles began to ask Newt if he knew any good Bed and Breakfasts around town. Newt seemed happy to comply, pulling out a large wad of paper and scribbling the name down on a piece of paper, of a place he thought Achilles would be ‘happy in. Just before he got ready to floo, Achilles bent down and whispered in her ear, suggestively. “You could come with me, you know.”   
Tina fought the urge to leap away from him, aware she was being closely monitored by Jacob, on the other side of the room, who was watching them like a hawk, evidently trying to listen in.  
“All my stuff is here.” She said lamely. It wasn’t the first attempt he’d made to try and get her to stay the night with him, even though they had only been seeing each other a little over a month.  
“But-” He began to protest.  
“I’ll stay here.” Tina said and she was surprised at the firmness of her tone. Achilles seemed to let it go, kissing her softly on the cheek, as she stood rigidly, shaking hands with everyone, before stepping into the licking green flames.

After he was gone. There was silence.  
Nagini broke it with a yawn, which was obviously over dramatised, but no one said anything. This set Jacob off with a yawn, because he seemed to have a knack of yawning whenever anyone else did. Tina realised that her own eyes were droopy with sleep, and she even stifled a yawn of her own.  
“I’m off.” Bunty declared, summoning her coat with a simple ‘accio’. She slipped it in and turned to everyone. “Good night, Theseus, have a nice first night in your flat. Good night, Nagini. Good night, Jacob, please save me one of those egg muffins in the morning.” She stopped at Newt, wrapping her arms around him tightly, in a way that made Tina’s heart clench even though she knew there was nothing between the two of them. “Night, Newt.”  
She didn’t turn once to Tina, nor bid her goodnight as she disapparated on the doorstep. It was a custom for Bunty to hug Tina last to say goodbye and the American witch found it endearing. But Bunty was evidently upset.  
“I think I’m going to bed now as well.” Nagini said quietly, as Theseus also disapparated. She turned to Tina, a pitiful look in her eyes. “Tina?”  
Tina nodded wordlessly and got up out of the soft armchair she found herself sinking into. As she followed Nagini up the stairs she paused, turning back to see Newt watching her with such reproachful eyes that she wanted to scream. She continued up the stairs.

“Are you mad at me, as well?” She asked Nagini once they had shut the door. The younger woman turned from brushing her soft hair.  
“Yes.” She said shortly, before continuing brushing.  
Tina rolled her eyes. “Great.” She said sarcastically, flopping down on her single bed, not bothering to remove her clothes. It was silent for a second before Nagini sighed and got up to join Tina on her bed.  
“Yes, I am mad at you.” Nagini said, touching Tina’s elbow gently. “But only because I can’t understand why you haven’t told that idiot where to go.” She looked at Tina pointedly and for a second the latter felt slightly ashamed.  
“Newt doesn’t want me.” She whispered and suddenly she was aware that she was crying, real, wet tears and letting them flow down her cheeks. “Why doesn’t he want me?” She sobbed, so hard that she fell against Nagini, who made shushing noises as the night slipped away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jacob does some talking, Nagini does some explaining and Newt does some realising.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been inactive, I've been desperate to post this chapter and wrap this story up because I know how infuriating it is waiting for the next chapter, but I've been away! I hope you like the final chapter and if you do, please comment and leave kudos. Criticism is accepted too!!!

He watched her trail up the stairs as though he was never going to see her again. She paused for half a second, turning to look back. His eyes began to brim with tears so he looked away hastily and when he looked back she was gone. He sighed. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

“Drink?” Jacob offered him a small glass of whiskey as he settled into the large armchair next to the fire. Newt took the glass from his friend with a grateful smile, allowing the alcoholic beverage to burn his throat and create a fiery feeling in his belly. There was a silence between the two friends as they both sat, comfortably, thinking about the many ways the Goldstein sisters had changed their lives.

“I don’t get it.” Newt said, after what could have very well been a week. Jacob looked up suddenly, almost surprised to see that Newt was also in the room. “I did everything right..” He paused, a sick feeling coming into his stomach that had nothing to do with the alcohol he had just sipped. “Or at least I thought I did.”   
Jacob cleared out his throat. “It ain’t got nothin to do with you pal.” He stopped, shaking his head before back tracking. “I mean it’s got everything to do with you but you haven’t done anything wrong over the last couple of days.”  
Newt blinked a couple of times, confused, so Jacob continued.  
“I don’t know the whole thing...but when Tina saw that article about you and Leta-”  
“-the fake article-” Newt corrected.  
“Yeah..that one. Well, when Tina saw it...Queenie said she was real cut up. Cos you know, Queenie could….she can...tell about those sorta things, I guess she saw it in her head. But you know Tina, she doesn’t like to appear as weak or crumbling, she’s pretty-”  
“-strong? Fierce? Formidable?” Newt offered.  
Jacob chuckled to himself. “Yeah, I guess. Anyway bud, she didn’t want anyone to think she was mooning over an engaged guy, least of all she didn’t wanna believe it herself, so she got with Achilles, thinkin it would make it all better.”  
Newt rubbed his hands over his eyes, groaning. “I’ve lost her Jacob.” He cried. “I’ve really lost her.”  
“Hey now.” Jacob reached out to pat his shoulder. “It’s not over till it’s over. And Tina definitely didn’t look that taken with Tolliver tonight.”  
“She didn’t tell him to leave, though.” Newt replied, fiddling with his fingers. It was true, Tina hadn’t looked completely thrilled when Achilles had arrived, but that was probably because she was so surprised. If she really had no feelings left for him, she would have told him to leave, but she hadn’t.   
They didn’t say much after that. Just sat and thought. Eventually, Jacob got up, wordlessly and left Newt thinking. Newt wasn’t sure when he finally stumbled into bed, but he knew that , when he did, his cheeks were moist with tears and his eyes were stinging with the memory of Tina Goldstein burnt into them.

 

When morning came, an awkward mood had descended across the entire house. Jacob made breakfast and everyone ate it, as per usual, but it seemed as though everyone was avoiding eye contact with each other, especially Newt and Tina. Bunty, Newt noticed, seemed to have developed an overnight allergic reaction to the american witch, as she consistently ignored all of Tina’s efforts to make conversation or her soft smiles that she gave her across the table. Newt couldn’t help but notice, like he always did, that when Tina smiled softly, only one of her dimples was visible, on the left side and even then it was so faint you would have to know it was there. But when she beamed, now that was a different story. When she beamed, Newt found that two equal sized dimples uncovered themselves, giving her face a complete joyous expression. When he saw both dimples, he found it almost impossible not to smile as well.  
A knock at the door pulled him away from all his lost thoughts about Tina and her dimples, nevermind how heavenly. He stood up abruptly, as the others began to enchant the dishes away, offering to go and get the door.

It was open by the time he got there, opened by, his stomach dropped, Achilles Tolliver, himself. Achilles showed himself in to the hall way of the London house. He smiled when he saw Newt, looking a little disappointed that it wasn’t Tina herself. Newt fought the urge to hex him, on the spot, reminding himself that Tina loved this man and that he would do anything to protect Tina Goldstein’s heart.  
“Alright Newt,” Achilles greeted, brushing his boots on the welcome mat. “Tina around?”  
“Yes, she’s just-” Newt was interrupted by Tina herself, walking into the hallway. Her face paled in supposed excitement, just looking at Achilles and Newt’s stomach flipped at the sight of it.  
“Tina!” Achilles smiled, taking her by the hand. Newt tried to avert his eyes but found it quite impossible and therefore ended up standing in between them, awkwardly.  
“Hello Achilles.” She stuttered. It was infuriating to New Show speechless this man made her.  
“I was wondering if you wanted to go on a walk with me.” He offered, caressing her hand which lay, limply in his other one. “Show me the sights of London. We could talk.”  
Tina’s eyes practically lit up with excitement. “Yes!” She breathed, retracting her hand from his slightly. “We need to talk.” She moved away from the two of them. “I’ll just go and get my coat.” She left the room.  
Achilles turned to Newt. This time, Newt had to fight the urge to punch him in the nose. And he was a pacifist.   
“Can you keep a secret?” Tolliver leaned in, smirking, as he reached for inside his coat pocket. He pulled out a small black box. Newt froze.  
“Is that a-?” He whispered, praying that it wasn’t what he thought it was. Achilles pulled open the black box to reveal a ring; a huge, shiny diamond ring.  
“Engagement ring.” Achilles finished Newt’s question before he even got a chance to finish it himself. Newt’s mind raced. This couldn’t be happening. Less than twenty four hours ago he had been perfectly happy with the way things were going with Tina..but now, he realised she was to become engaged to someone else.  
“But..” He started, trying to think of something to say. “You’ve only been seeing each other for a little while and-”  
“What does it matter?” Achilles cried, a huge grin on his face. “I like the girl, well enough and come on, she’d be crazy not to wanna marry me.”  
Newt frowned. He couldn’t satisfy his feelings for Tina with ‘like’. That would be like trying brand an erumpent with the qualities of a pygmy puff. Impossible.  
At that exact moment, Tina reappeared, now wearing her shiny blue jacket. Achilles hastily stowed the box away.  
“Ready?” She asked, as Achilles offered his arm. Newt thought fast.  
“But it’s going to rain!” He cried, his head clouding with thoughts. “You’ll be soaked.”  
“Rain?” Achilles asked. “I don’t think so Newt, the sky is just looking a little grey.”  
Tina looked at Newt impassively, as Achilles pulled her out of the door, leaving the british wizard standing, looking at the closed door as the only girl he had ever, or could ever love, was on her way to be engaged to somebody else.

“Where did they go?” Jacob appeared in the hallway, as Newt stood rooted on the spot.  
“He’s going to ask her to marry him.” Newt said quietly. “And she’s going to say yes. I’ve well and truly lost her.”  
“What?!” Jacob practically yelled. “No way! No way! You gotta do something, bud!”  
Newt turned around. “What’s there to do?” He said sadly. “She seemed ecstatic to talk with him. She really loves him.”

 

“What’s going on?” Nagini and Bunty had come to see what all the commotion was. They looked between Newt’s long expression and Jacob’s crazed face, confused.  
“Achilles is going to propose!” Jacob explained, beginning to pace up and down. The two girls gasped.  
“Newt!” Bunty cried, hand flying to her mouth. “What are you going to do?”  
“She doesn’t want me.” He sighed, sinking on to a stool, next to the door. “She’s in love with Achilles and there’s nothing I can do about it.”  
“Rubbish.”   
Newt looked up, to see Nagini staring at him, arms crossed over her chest. “Pardon?”  
“That’s rubbish!” Nagini said, looking between all of them. “You know, last night, Tina sobbed to me, saying that YOU didn’t want HER and that she didn’t know what to do! Newt you’re such a fool. It’s you. It’s always been you.”  
Newt sat, frozen on the spot, trying to absorb this information. If only he’d have told her, the other night how he had felt. No..if only he had told her, standing on the docks in New York, how much he had cared for her, they’d have saved so much time. He stood up, summoning his coat.  
“Where are you going?” Jacob asked.  
“To look for them.” Newt said, now summoning his case, which flew to his hand quickly. “If I don’t tell her how I feel now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”  
There were cheers of happiness and triumph but Newt didn’t hear them because he was hurrying on the the london streets, as the skies began to spit, very slightly.

The streets were practically deserted, probably due to the thunderous looking clouds looming over head. A cold drop of rain landed with a splash on his nose, reminding him that he actually had no idea what direction they had gone in or where they would end up. He sighed, his mind strangely wandering to Leta.   
“You could be some help you know.” He muttered, feeling like an idiot. “At least give me a sign or something.”  
He was about to turn back when a cry echoed in his ears. He ignored it at first, until it happened again. It sounded almost like his name. He stopped. The cry happened a third time and this time he was positive that the crier was calling for him. He turned around as the rain drops began to fall steadily, to see a Tina Goldstein walking in his direction.  
“Tina!” He yelled, pushing a damp lock of hair of his forehead. He began to stride towards her, increasing his pace as he did so.  
“Newt!” She repeated and he saw that she was half running to him. They both stopped, just an inch short of each other, panting.  
“Newt.” She stated, smiling in a contented sort of way. She blinked. “Achilles asked me to marry him.”  
Newt’s stomach dropped, he had been too late. He tried to look as please as possible but instead ended up looking like he was being tortured.  
“I’m very happy for you-”  
“I said no-”  
They both stopped, eyes wide open, evidently surprised at the others words.  
“You did?”  
“You are?”  
Tina took a deep breath. “Well...you know.. Achilles is nice. He’s handsome, he’s intelligent, he’s brave-”  
Newt’s insides felt like bubbling acid.  
“But there was one problem.” Tina said quietly.  
“Oh?” Newt enquired. “What was that?”  
Tina glanced at the ground, shyly, her cheeks filling with heat. “Well...you can’t marry a guy...when you’re in love with someone else.”  
Newt’s heart started beating rapidly and with a surge of courage he took a step forward closing the gap between them. He reached out to trail his hand over Tina’s soaked cheek.  
“That other person is you, you know.” Tina whispered, her eyes wide and anxious looking. “In case you didn’t know.”  
Newt chuckled, pushing the hair away from her face so he could hold it properly. “I do now.”  
Tina smiled so widely that her two dimples were visible, which made Newt grin as well. Slowly Newt moved in to brush his lips against hers. It was a gentle kiss, filled with all the promise and fear that a first kiss should be filled with, yet it conveyed all of their unspoken words from the last couple of months, all of the missing sentences from their letters and shared all of the passion that their longing looks had. When they broke apart, a couple of seconds later, now both fully soaked head to toe, Tina’s eyes remained closed for a second longer then his. Her face looked so pure and peaceful, reminding him of time before Grindelwald, before the death of loved ones or the loss of sisters.   
“Oh my love,” He whispered and she opened her eyes once more, raising a hand to touch his, which was pressed against his face.  
“Newt..” She said slowly and he nodded in encouragement. “This is very nice and all..” She continued. “But I’m pretty sure it’s nearly Dougal’s feeding time.”  
Newt blinked, mesmerised by the fact that he had found a girl who knew the timings of when his demiguise ate.  
“I knew there was a reason I was a fond of you.” He grinned, before they began to walk, slowly, hand in hand, to feed Dougal the demiguise.


End file.
